“300 Clouds”

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Via Pitchfork

A lot of home-recorded music that's made waves over the past year has been tagged as "warm-sounding," possibly because those hazy sounds give off a soft, comfortable glow akin to an old TV set. There are degrees of warmth, though, and akin to Rising synthpop artist Active Child, Philadelphia musician Dave Hartley's Nightlands project sounds like it was recorded in a hearth. Whereas Active Child's sound is more contained, Hartley's music is seeps out and fills spaces, combining the kind of expansive resonance found in Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs with Beach Boys-like vocal arrangements-- the latter displayed on his faithful cover of the Surf's Up stunner "'Til I Die".

Forget the Mantra standout "300 Clouds" serves as a great introduction to Hartley's expressive music; the way the track builds, from tinny synth drone to huge pounding drums, sounds like doors slowly being opened. Hartley sings the main melody in a resonant low register, while additional vocal tracks soar above his anchor like planes at an air show. The lyrics themselves are elemental and spiritual ("She prayed for rain," "He prayed for clouds"), and their weighty concerns are further grounded by the production's density.